All Good Things
by InNeedOfSaving
Summary: Formerly Balcony. A postSR oneshot. Includes unexpected appearances, revelations, and decisions about the future. Enjoy!
1. Chapter 1

**The obligatory "I-don't-own-any-of-the-characters" line: Of course Superman doesn't belong to me.**

**The obligatory "Please-review-on-my-story" line: They are nice after all.**

_It's been three months since Richard left. I can't blame him for doing it. Working for the BBC has always been a dream of his. Plus, what reason did he have to stay in Metropolis? To end up editor-in-chief of the _Planet_ after Perry retired, living with a woman whom he knew loved another man more than himself, and with her child whom he knew wasn't his?_

_No, I never told him, but I could see it in his eyes sometimes when he looked at Jason. It was undeniable: Jason's intensely blue eyes, his growing strength, his affinity for sunlight. His allergies and frailties were even disappearing almost daily. He no longer needed his inhaler or as many vitamins. And once when I was picking up his room, I thought I saw a pair of small scorch marks on the ceiling. _

_Richard knew when he asked me that night in the kitchen if I had loved Superman. He knew better when I said, "No." He always did know when I was being less than truthful. He was noble, especially in returning to save Superman during the New Krypton ordeal. He probably saw it then too, while I was lovingly nursing Superman, cradling his head in my lap and removing the toxic kryptonite from his side. The softness in my voice when I exclaimed, "You're hurt!" when he said that he needed to go back. I know that in that moment, I betrayed my true feelings. And though I reassured him that nothing could happen between Superman and me, that I was through with the Big Blue Boy Scout, and though he had held on to that false notion as long as he could bear, Richard finally tired of being runner-up in the race to my heart._

_We were doomed. From the moment I saw Superman flash past the small round window of that 777 on that fateful day, he had recaptured my heart, and no matter how much I wanted to deny it, he will always have my heart._

As Lois stood on her balcony, inhaling the crisp night air, feeling the light breeze blowing softly through her hair and her silk robe, she reflected over the past three months without Richard. Superman visited occasionally, coming in the middle of the night to visit Jason after he had gone to sleep. She always made sure to leave the window unlocked for him, because a father deserved to see his son. But he hadn't made any effort to pursue things with Lois. He had made sure to stand at least far enough away from her that she couldn't feel his radiating heat. Whether that was conscious or not, she didn't know.

All she knew is that she wanted to feel that heat again.

She sighed, looking out across the water, seeing the moon reflected in the water, shimmering and undulating with the waves. The stars were out, what few she could see with all the light pollution of Metropolis. Her dream had always been to live somewhere that she could see the stars at night, but her passion for journalism had taken priority, leading her to the big city, where her only exposure to stars was in interviews.

She searched the skies, hoping to see a flash of red and blue, but knowing that if she did, her heart would only ache all the more. She needed to be with him, even if she had to share him with the entire world. She wouldn't be so selfish as to think that she could ever have him all to herself. Despite what she wrote all those years ago, the world _does_ need a savior; _she_ needed a savior.

"I need you, Superman," she whispered, feeling the tears burn behind her eyes. "I need to be with you. I need to love you. I need you to love me. I need for you, me, and Jason to be a family. I love you. I've always loved you." Silently, a single tear fell down her cheek.

Just then, she heard that tell-tale _swoosh_ that signaled the arrival of a certain Man of Steel. As she turned to face him, she wiped away the tear and hoped that her eyes were not red enough for him to tell that she had been crying.

"Good evening, Lois," he said, standing on the other side of the balcony with his fists resting on his hips, far outside her perimeter of personal space.

_He must have heard me_, she thought, both fearing and rejoicing at the thought.

He took a step forward. "I was just visiting Jason, and I saw you down here. I hope you don't mind my intrusion. I just wanted to see how you were doing."

She crossed her arms across her chest, a futile defense against the growing chill of the night, and the growing warmth in her chest. "I'm doing well," she said. "Very well. Thanks."

But her voice must have betrayed her true feelings, because a look of concern crossed his face.

"Are you sure? You don't sound well. Have you been crying?" He took a few more steps forward, and for the first time since she had taken that piece of kryptonite out of his side, she felt his warmth.

She turned away, looking back out over the water, feeling the flood of tears begin to fall down her cheeks.

"Honestly, no, I'm not well. I'm not well at all. I'm a wreck." She fought to refrain her tears enough to get the words out clearly. "I haven't been well since…" Her head dropped, and her next words came out in a whisper. "…since you left."

She could hold back the tears no longer. She just let them flow, not caring anymore about her pride or trying to appear strong and in control in front of Superman. She just didn't care about seeming weak anymore.

As the tears began to fall freely, Superman was struggling inside. His head told him to keep his distance, to let her cry and just offer her verbal support, like he would any friend who was in distress. _You can't get involved with her_, he told himself. _Look at what you've done to her already. Don't give her false hope that you could be a happy, normal little family. Keep your distance. It's the only way to spare her any more pain._

But his heart said otherwise; his heart told him to rush forward, to gather her in his arms, and to assure her that he did love her and that they could try to make things work. He wanted to kiss away her every tear, to take her up to see the stars, like she always loved doing. He wanted to take away her pain, because he knew that he had caused it. And in his heart, he knew the only way to do that was to let himself love her again.

Ultimately, his heart won out. He closed the gap between them and pulled her to himself. She looked up, surprised and relieved, and then buried her face in his chest, pouring out her heart and soul to him, the only man she had ever truly loved. She didn't care if he understood a word she said; it was simply enough to get it out. But by the way he squeezed her at certain points, she knew that he did understand. He always understood.

When she had cried enough to satisfy her anguish, she stepped back and met his piercing blue eyes with her watery brown ones. They held each other's gaze for several moments. How she longed to kiss him, but she wasn't sure if this sudden display of affection was because of his feelings toward her, his former lover and the mother of his child, or because of his sympathy toward her, a human being in such obvious pain. So she simply continued to look into his eyes, willing him to kiss her.

_Can you read my mind? Kiss me. Please, kiss me. Love me. I need you to love me._

But he didn't need to read her mind. He wanted to kiss her as much as she wanted to be kissed, and now that Richard was out of the picture, no matter what his head told him, he did not feel the need to exercise the same self-control he had had that night on the rooftop of the _Daily Planet_ after the first time he had taken her flying since his return. He leaned in and gently placed his lips upon hers.

At first, she simply enjoyed the feeling of his lips on hers, then slowly she began to grow hungry for more. She reached up and put her arms around his neck, pulling him closer. He allowed her to do so, as he placed his hands around her waist and pulled her closer to himself.

It was a kiss of release for all the years of pent-up passion they'd endured. It was everything that Superman had dreamed of every second he'd be away from Lois, especially these past several months. But at the same time, it was so much more; it was like they were exploring new territory all over again, almost like a second first kiss. When he had returned and found another man in his place at Lois' side, he had resigned himself to a future without her. And he believed that that was the best for everyone involved. But now he knew that what was best was for him and Lois to be together, to raise their son properly. To do that, though, he would need to come out with everything. No more secrets.

When they finally pulled away, both of them smiled. Neither of them spoke for several minutes, but there was no need for words; the kiss had said it all for now. At one point, he even squeezed her lightly three times, their silent way of saying "I love you," which they had invented that night in the Fortress of Solitude, when the silence was as perfect as it was now, and which they often used on flying trips, when the sound of the rushing wind and his flapping cape was enough.

Smiling more broadly, she stepped up onto his boots and wrapped her arms around his torso.

"Take me flying?" she asked.

Without a word and without taking his eyes from hers, Superman lifted them up from the balcony, ascending higher and higher, eventually leaving the light pollution of the great city below them, so that Lois could see every star. She cast her eyes around, taking in the million points of light surrounding them.

She felt every burden that had been placed on her shoulders over the past five years lifted. The constant dull ache that had been in her heart since Superman's sudden disappearance, and that had sharply grown since his return, faded as the stars twinkled around her. His heat warmed any coolness still left in her heart toward him. She understood why he needed to go, and though she still couldn't quite grasp why he couldn't have told her that he was leaving, she no longer felt betrayed. She knew that they could make it work, though it would take a lot of sacrifice, especially on Lois' part. But she knew that this was where she belonged: in Superman's arms.

When she brought her eyes back to Superman's, she found him gazing at her lovingly. She smiled, reaching up to run her hand through his hair. He closed his eyes as she did so; he had always loved that feeling. Then she twirled his curl around her finger, which cause them both to chuckle. Wrapping her arms around his neck, she placed another gentle kiss on his lips, lingering and looking into his eyes again. That look said everything.

"We should get back, in case Jason wakes up," he said. She nodded, and he began the descent.

Once back on the balcony, Lois stepped off of his boots, but she did not leave his arms. She knew what they must now address, and she was finally ready for that subject.

"We need to talk," she said, and he simply nodded.

"Shall we go inside, then? It's a bit chilly, and not all of us are invulnerable to cold."

He smiled. "Sure."

Taking his hand, she led him inside to the living room, where they sat facing each other on the couch. Just as Lois took a deep breath and opened her mouth to speak, Superman held up his hand to silence her.

"Wait, Lois. There's something I must tell you first." He looked nervous, something that Lois didn't see in Superman very often. "I don't want to hide anything from you anymore. And I know that I can't if I want to make this work. I want you to know who I am, who I really am."

This was the moment that Lois had been awaiting for years. Since she first laid eyes on him, she had wanted to know him, to really know him, in every way possible. Sure, from the journalistic standpoint, this would be the story of a lifetime. But Lois would never betray the secret that he obviously worked so hard to keep under wraps. She was glad that he was finally going to trust her with such precious information.

He reached behind his back and plucked something from his belt. When he brought forth a pair of glasses with thick black rims, Lois looked at him quizzically. He extended them to her, saying, "Put them on me."

She complied, and as she studied his now spectacled face, everything came together, slowly. She saw how muted his bright blue eyes were behind the frames and how the shape of his face seemed to alter, especially his strong jaw line. His shoulders even hunched once they touched his face, making him lose a few inches in height. When he pushed the curl back into the rest of his hair and smoothed it down, Lois finally understood.

With wide eyes, she simply said, "Clark."

He nodded, still nervous and unsure as to how she felt about this realization. "Yes, Lois, I'm Clark Kent. I would have told you sooner, but I wanted to protect my loved ones. If people like Luthor knew–" She was smiling widely now. He stopped and looked at her, bemused. "What, Lois? What is it?"

She took the glasses back off his face and then replaced them, seeing the instant change both times. She laughed out loud now. Finally she took them off and studied them intently. She looked though them and saw that though they were immensely thick, she could see perfectly. She even saw a tiny, pinprick hole in the middle of each lens, where she assumed his heat vision came out when he had to use it in disguise.

She laughed again. "Ingenious." Still studying the glasses, she said, "I can't believe I never saw it. Some investigative reporter I must be. Yet somehow," she looked up, "I always knew. There was something inside me that, when I saw Clark, would jump, and it felt right to be near him. I protested being put on assignments with Clark so I would not have to feel that feeling every time we locked eyes. I even teased him mercilessly when we were younger to further hide those feelings that were growing, ever so slowly, beneath the surface. I was scared, because I knew what I was doing to Richard by still loving you, and I didn't want to do that to anyone else. Clark's such a nice guy, I couldn't break his heart. I knew that my heart belonged to you anyway, and I didn't want to hurt any more people than I had to." She went silent.

After a few moments, Superman carefully said, "So, you're not angry?"

She smiled. "No. I understand why you did what you did. You had to protect yourself. And like I said, I somehow knew all along. I guess I was just trying to subconsciously convince myself that it couldn't be true. But now that I know it _is_ true, this makes things so much simpler."

He furrowed his brows. "How? I thought that this would make everything more difficult."

She scooted closer, excited. "No, no, everything works out so much better this way! You told me once that you couldn't be with me because if you were, then I would be a target to those that want to hurt you." He nodded. "Well, instead of being with Superman, I can be with Clark Kent, the mild-mannered reporter from Smallville, Kansas. No one would suspect it. I know some people suspect something between you and me, especially at the _Planet_, but that doesn't matter. If we make it clear that you, as Clark, and I were together, everything would be perfect. You could even legally adopt Jason. We would be a family, finally."

He understood, and he rather liked the idea. This way, he wouldn't have to worry about Lois' or Jason's safety, so long as his secret remained under wraps. But there was still a catch. 

"You do understand, though," he said carefully, taking her hands, "that I will constantly be coming and going, and I can't be yours alone. You will have to share me with the entire world, because I can't give up helping people. It's what I was sent here to do. There will be many nights where you will go to sleep alone, and many mornings where you will wake up without me by your side. I can't be home every night for dinner, and you will have to tuck Jason in many nights on your own. It will be hard, a great sacrifice for you. I can't offer you a stable life, like you and Jason need. That's why I didn't pursue anything while you were with Richard. I knew that he could give you what you needed."

She scooted closer still. "What I _need_ is sitting right in front of me. I may not be able to have Superman all to myself, but Clark Kent would be all mine. I only have to share him with his sweet, grey-haired old mother down in Smallville."

"Silver-haired," he said automatically, causing them both to laugh.

When the laughter subsided, Superman looked lovingly into Lois' eyes, which were still twinkling with mirth. "So you really want to do this?"

"More than anything."

He smiled, thinking how perfect everything could be. But then a shadow crossed his face. "What about Jason? How will we tell him? This is a lot for a six-year-old. The only father he's ever known is Richard. How do you think he'll handle knowing that some alien from another star is actually his father?"

"I think it's cool," Superman heard a small voice say. He looked at Lois, who apparently hadn't heard anything, as she was still thinking about how to tell Jason.

Superman stood and released her hands.

"What's the matter?" she asked as he sped up the dark stairwell. When he returned, he was holding Jason in his arms.

"Seems as if we had an eavesdropper," he said, sitting down and holding Jason in his lap.

Lois tried to appear stern. "Jason, what were you doing up? You should be in bed, asleep."

"I _was_ in bed, but I couldn't go to sleep. Everything was so loud. I could hear every word you guys said, like you were standing right beside me. I could even hear the people down the road and their TVs."

Lois looked at Superman, alarmed. However, he just smiled.

"I remember when that happened to me, though I was quite a bit older, and temporarily blinded."

Jason looked up at him, wide-eyed. "You mean, I'll have super powers like you?"

Superman ruffled Jason's hair. "Seems that way, little man. But don't worry, I'll be able to help you through their development. I remember it being really scary for me and my parents when I was growing up, but I know how to deal with it now, even though it seems to be happening differently with you. In fact, if you want, I can take you back upstairs and help you go to sleep."

Jason shook his head. "Not yet. I wanna know what you and Mommy decide. Can you be my dad, Superman, please?"

He chuckled. "Well, little man, technically, _I_ wouldn't be your dad; Mr. Clark would. Is that okay? You'd have to remember that and never accidentally call me _Dad_ when I'm outside in the suit, all right? It's very important that you don't."

"Okay, I can do that," said Jason, jumping off Superman's lap and standing on the floor between his parents. He held out his hand, saying, "Goodnight, Superman."

Superman looked over his head at Lois and exchanged a smile with her. Superman swept Jason easily into his arms, leaning him backwards and blowing raspberries on his stomach. "Come on, I'll tuck you in, just this one time."

Jason was giggling as Superman tickled him. "Okayokayokay! 'Night, Mommy!"

"Good night, sweetheart!" Lois called after them.

Superman and his son floated upstairs and to Jason's bedroom, which Superman had visited many times. And though he had memorized the constellations made with the glow-in-the-dark stars on the ceiling, he still couldn't help but look up at them, especially the red star that Lois had made sure to include, placed right over Jason's bed. Superman laid the little boy in the bed and pulled the covers up to his chin.

"Is everything still loud?" he asked softly.

Jason nodded.

"All right, here's what my parents taught me to do: focus on one sound, a soft, sleepy-like sound, like the waves of the water outside. Can you hear them?"

Jason closed his eyes and furrowed his eyebrows in concentration. Then his face softened. "Yeah."

"Good. Focus on them and let them rock you sleep."

"Okay," he said, already drifting off.

Once he was fully asleep, Superman kissed him on the forehead and felt his warmth, which wasn't a fever, but only a remnant of having absorbed the yellow sun's energy during the day.

When Superman joined Lois downstairs, she was sitting on the couch with her legs tucked up under her, her eyes closed and a slight smile on her face. Superman walked over to her quietly and placed a gentle kiss on one eye. She opened them and looked up at him.

"Did he go to sleep all right?"

"Yes, I just told him to focus on the sound of the waves and he drifted off easily."

"Good," Lois said, standing up. She placed her arms around Superman's torso and rested her head on his chest. He followed suit and wrapped his arms around her back.

After a few moments, she lifted her head and took his hand, leading him upstairs. He allowed himself to be led down the hallway and to the last room. Once in Lois' bedroom, she closed the door and turned around, closing the gap between them. She placed her hands on his shoulders and removed the cape from the blue suit. Superman was a little uncomfortable with this and tried to pull away.

"Lois, I really shouldn't—"

"Shh." She put a finger to his lips. "Stay with me tonight," she said softly right next to his ear, sending chills down his back. She let the cape drop to the floor and got to work on the fasteners of the suit. She undid it all the way down to the small of his sculpted back, where her fingers fluttered, making him shudder and pull her body closer to his. Then she peeled the skin-tight suit from his shoulders, down his arms, and over his hands, letting it rest on the top of his yellow belt and red briefs. She admired his muscles, running her hand across his pecs, biceps, and abs, enjoying how his eyes closed at her soft touches. He grabbed her waist and pulled her up against himself, nuzzling her neck.

She smiled as his breathing became more ragged. After all these years, she still had that effect on him. It was nice to know that no matter how much changed, some things would always stay the same. She wanted to jump into his arms and fall onto the bed with him, releasing years of pent-up passion, but she was having fun teasing him, so she backed away.

She reached her mouth up to his ear, as if to kiss the tender spot just below it. But instead she said, "I'll leave the rest to you." Then she turned and headed toward the bathroom.

He stood there, recovering from her caresses, unsure of what to do. He knew he had nothing on under the suit, and he was not about to sleep in the nude, not even with Lois. He scanned the room for any sort of leftover men's pajamas, but Richard had taken everything. Then he noticed in one of the drawers a pair of boxers. He took them out, but they were obviously made for women and would not accommodate him. He hastily redressed himself, sped out the window and back to his apartment, threw everything he could into his largest bag, and sped back to Lois' before she would miss him. He stripped off the suit and donned his own pair of boxers. He placed his bag in the closet and draped his suit over the chair in the corner. Then he waited, not knowing which side of the bed Lois preferred.

When she finally came out and saw him in his boxers, she smiled.

"Now, I know you don't wear those things under that suit."

He returned her smile. "No, I went home and gathered my things. I'll go back tomorrow and get the rest," he stepped forward and rested his hands lightly on her waist, "if you want me to."

She nodded, placing her arms around his neck. "This is your home now."

He smiled and carried her over to the bed, laying her down. She claimed her side, and he occupied the other. They covered up and she turned out the lamp on her bedside table. They turned to face each other, and Lois saw the moonlight reflected in his eyes. She knew that this was how it was supposed to be. He pulled her against himself, her back to his chest and held her, and nuzzled her neck again. He wanted more than to just hold her, but he knew that they must take it slowly. She sighed contently and soon drifted off to sleep. After watching her sleep for several minutes, he fell asleep, feeling like he was where he belonged for the first time in his life.


	2. Chapter 2

**The obligatory "I-don't-own-any-of-the-characters" line: Of course Superman doesn't belong to me.**

**The obligatory "Please-review-on-my-story" line: They are nice after all.**

When Lois slowly drifted back to consciousness the next morning, her first thought was, _I bet Clark had to leave sometime during the night, and this is the first of many mornings that I'll wake up alone._

But as she woke more fully, she felt warmth against her back, and when she was awake enough to move, she turned over and saw him still sleeping. She propped her head up on her hand and admired him; his chest rising and falling as he breathed, his mouth slightly open, his right arm resting on top of his head. He looked so vulnerable, almost childlike, and though she knew that they needed to get up to make it to work on time, she didn't want to wake him

Turns out, she didn't have to.

As if on cue, as soon as her watch hit 6:30, his eyes fluttered open, immediately finding Lois.

"Good morning," she said.

He leaned up and kissed her. "Good morning. Sleep well?"

"The best I've slept in six years."

"Good," he said. "I'll get Jason up, dressed, and fed while you get ready for work."

An hour later, when Lois joined them downstairs, she found them both dressed and ready to go; Clark even had his glasses on, and he had fixed Jason's lunch. A brown paper sack was sitting next to Jason's backpack and jacket, and Clark's briefcase and coat were in the chair next to the door. Jason was the first to see her.

"Good morning, Mommy!" he said brightly, running over to give her a big hug.

"Morning, sweetie," she said, picking up her son and carrying him back to the table. "You ready to go to school?" She checked her watch: 7:35. "The bus will be here soon."

"Yep, Mr. Clark…I mean, Daddy fixed my lunch and everything."

Surprised with how quickly Jason took to the monumental revelation last night, Lois looked over at Clark and saw him gazing at his son with a mixture of shock, pride, and happiness.

After Jason left on the bus, Lois and Clark grabbed their things and headed out the door; the _Daily Planet_ was only a ten minute walk from Lois' house. Clark didn't say a word for the first half of the trip, so Lois decided to break the silence.

"Are you all right, Clark?"

He started and looked over to her. "Oh, sorry, Lois. I'm fine. It's just, I never thought that Jason would ever call me that. And finally hearing it, I guess I was a bit overwhelmed." He smiled. "So, what do we tell the people at work? Should we walk in holding hands or just act normal?"

Lois grabbed his hand. "I'm not going to hide this. Plus, I'm sure nobody but Jimmy will notice, and he's known about your long-time crush on me; he'll be ecstatic for you."

Indeed, Jimmy was the only one to notice. When he saw them over the files he was perusing at his desk, he brightened up and started to greet them as usual. But when he saw their interlocked hands, he stopped abruptly, shocked. He recovered quickly and played it off.

"Good morning, Mr. Kent, Miss Lane."

Smiling, Lois let go of Clark's hand and went to her desk. "Good morning, Jimmy. Don't tell me Perry's already breathing down your neck today."

Jimmy nodded, glancing back at Clark, who shot him a wink. Jimmy merely smiled and filled Lois in on their newest assignment.

At lunchtime, Jimmy offered to treat the pair at the nearby deli. After they had received their food, Jimmy leaned forward, folded his hands, and looked expectantly at the pair. While Lois merely looked back, Clark began to feel a little uncomfortable with being stared down, so he broke the silence.

"Would you like to ask us something, Jimmy?"

He leaned back, a bright smile on his face. "Yes, yes I would. What exactly is up with you two?" he asked, gesturing back and forth between them.

Lois grabbed Clark's hand under the table and brought it up to rest on the surface. "Isn't it obvious, Jimmy? Clark and I are together."

"I can see that. But what happened? I mean, yesterday, you two were just the normal old Lois and Clark, bantering and – forgive me, Clark – awkward. _Something_ must have happened last night." His eyes twinkled mischievously.

Clark opened his mouth to speak, but Lois beat him to the punch.

"Well, Clark came over last night and confessed his undying love for me and I felt like I ought to give him a chance, since I felt so sorry for the guy."

Clark shot her a look, which caused her to laugh and kiss him. "I'm just joking, of course." She looked back to Jimmy. "Honestly, Jimmy, it's been simmering below the surface for years now, and we could finally deny it no longer. There's obviously something there, and we want to see what it is. Plus, with Richard gone now, Jason needs a father-figure." _Who better than his actual father?_ she thought.

"But what about Supe– " Jimmy stopped, unsure if he should pursue this line of questioning.

Lois glanced at Clark before answering. "What _about_ Superman? I can still be his PR rep while I'm with Clark, can't I? Unless you mean something else?"

Jimmy was growing increasingly uncomfortable, but he decided to plod on. "Well, I mean, you two had something going on, didn't you? It was all over the newsroom. I mean, come on, Lois: _I Spent the Night With Superman_?"

Lois smiled. "I knew that headline would get me in trouble. True, Superman and I share a deep connection, but honestly, how selfish would a girl have to be to ask Superman to give up saving the world to be with her?"

Now that he knew he wouldn't be chastised for asking about this subject, Jimmy asked the one question that he had been burning to ask for years. "There are also rumors that Superman is Jason's father. I know it sounds ludicrous, but I have to ask." He paused for dramatic effect. "Is it true?"

Lois looked away, furrowed her eyebrows, and seemed to consider the rumor. "Now, I hadn't heard that one. That's interesting." She looked back at Jimmy seriously. "How exactly were people explaining the fact that he's not even human, and thus probably doesn't have the same type of DNA, yet he produced a perfectly normal human child?"

"I don't know," Jimmy said. "It's just what they're saying. So, you're saying that Richard really is Jason's father?"

Clark finally spoke up.

"Let me take this one, Lois." Jimmy looked over at Clark, having almost forgotten that he was there. Lois also looked over at Clark, curious as to what he was going to say. Clark met Lois' eyes. "I think we should just tell him. I mean, if we can't tell our best friend, who _can_ we tell?"

Lois made a motion to give him the go ahead, trusting his judgement, so Clark continued, leaning forward to enhance the suspense. "But you have to promise not to tell anybody about this, Jimmy."

Jimmy nodded vigorously. "I won't. You have my word."

Clark seemed satisfied. "Okay, remember that story Lois and I did about the Niagara Falls newlywed scam?" Jimmy nodded. "Well, that night, with the Flames of Love and all, things got a little…warm. One thing led to another and…" He made vague gestures. "Well, you know." He met Jimmy's shocked eyes and had to refrain from laughing.

Jimmy pointed to Clark, speechless. "You mean you…?"

"And in his defense, though," Lois interjected, saving Jimmy the pain of trying to come up with words at the moment, "he didn't know I was pregnant when he left to go soul-searching."

"I wish I had, though," Clark said softly, looking at Lois and kissing her hand. "I would never have left."

"I know," Lois said, squeezing his hand. "But that's all the in the past now." She looked down at her watch. "And here in the present, there's news to report. Perry will have all our heads if we're late." She snapped at the waiter. "Check, please!"

**Author's note: So, what do you think? Still worth continuing? Completely unrealistic and out of character? Just plain adorable? Let me know!**


	3. Chapter 3

**The obligatory "I-don't-own-any-of-the-characters" line: Of course Superman doesn't belong to me.**

**The obligatory "Please-review-on-my-story" line: They are nice after all.**

Over the next month, word got around the newsroom that Lois and Clark were now an item, though the information that Clark was Jason's real father remained under wraps; Jimmy was nothing if not loyal. Not many of their co-workers thought much of their relationship; they were mostly all convinced that Lois was still in love with Superman and couldn't maintain a serious relationship while he was still around. They hypothesized, correctly, that that was why she and Richard had never set a date for the wedding, because she had been waiting, though subconsciously, for Superman to return. They all saw Clark as a sort of rebound from Richard and another attempted distraction from Superman.

That's why everyone was shocked when they announced their engagement after only a month of dating.

Clark heard the whispers around the newsroom, using his super-hearing.

"Well, it's so obvious that she's just doing this to get attention. She has an irrational need to have a man, and dating a co-worker is the easiest way to do that, since she sees him everyday."

"Dating a co-worker is a very bad move. Remember what it was like after she and Richard called off their engagement? That week before he moved to Britain was very awkward around here."

"I think she's doing it to finally get over Superman. It's just a childish fantasy to think that you can be with a superhero like him."

"What about Jason? What must he be feeling, having some other man move into Richard's position as his father? That boy deserves his real father." (Clark had to smile at this comment.)

Jimmy would stick up for them when he was in earshot of the nay-sayers.

"I know Lois and Clark better than any of you, and I know for a fact that they are both truly happy and in love. And Jason loves Clark. So just back off."

Clark confided in Lois what all he heard, but neither of them put much stock in it; no one from the newsroom, save Perry and Jimmy, would be invited to the wedding anyway.

The weekend after they announced their engagement to the office, Lois insisted that they take Jason to Smallville to visit Martha Kent, since she had yet to meet her grandson. Clark agreed, knowing that Lois and Martha had some plans to begin making. They decided to drive the 100 miles and let Jason take in some of the beautiful Kansas scenery.

When she saw Clark pull into the winding driveway, kicking up dust and gravel with Lois' red Suburban, Martha put down her dishrag and exited the back screen door, waiting to embrace her son and grandson. A smile crossed her care-worn face as she remembered the day that she and Jonathan had driven down that driveway the day they found Clark.

Jonathan would be so proud of Clark…

Shaking her head, Martha strictly forbade herself to cry, because this was a happy day, and she wasn't going to ruin in for anyone by being weepy.

Clark was the first one out once the vehicle had come to a stop. He rushed around the front of the SUV and opened the door for Lois; Jason was already out and had been enveloped in a huge hug by Martha.

"You must be Jason," she said chuckling, moving him to her hip so she could see him properly.

"And you must be Grandma Kent," he replied, causing her to smile.

"I thought I'd never get to hear that name," Martha said, her eyes shining.

Clark and Lois soon joined the pair on the front porch. Martha set Jason down as Lois extended her hand.

"It's good to see you again, Mrs. Kent," she said.

"You too, Lois," Martha replied, ignoring Lois' hand and pulling her in for an impromptu embrace. Clark smiled at Lois' reaction: initially surprised then she smiled.

Then it was Clark's turn for a hug. Martha put her hands on Clark's arms and looked up at him proudly. Then she pulled him in and embraced him strongly. "Congratulations, son."

Lois stood back and admired the mother and son, thinking about all the pain they'd been put through and endured, all the trials and tests of faith that had inevitably come with raising a very special little boy, all the joy that Martha must feel at seeing how well her son turned out. Lois knew that Martha was someone that she could always go to, when things got tough with Clark's being gone a lot, when she had difficulty dealing with Jason's development, when she needed someone to share in how proud she was of her own son, and Martha's.

When Martha pulled away and gazed at Clark again, she began to feel teary again. So she let go of Clark and turned toward the house, saying, "Come in, come in. I have breakfast waiting for you." She took Jason's hand and led him inside, surreptitiously wiping away the tear threatening to fall from her eye.

Martha had outdone herself: the tiny dining room table was covered with stacks of pancakes and waffles; golden hashbrowns; piles of sausage, ham, and bacon; fluffy biscuits next to an enormous, full gravy boat; a huge bowl full of bananas, apples, oranges, and grapes; pitchers of milk and orange juice; and finally the smell of freshly-brewed coffee wafted to Lois' nose.

"Mom," Clark said, fixing her with a look. "We'll never be able to eat all this."

She smiled. "I know." She pushed him to the table. "Sit, sit. Dig in!"

As the family settled in and began piling their plates with the delicious country breakfast, Martha puttered around the kitchen, pulling out the butter, syrup, sugar, and cream. Clark saw her glance at the clock, which caused him to grow suspicious.

"Mom?" he said, laying aside his forkful of hashbrowns. "Are you expecting someone else?"

She whirled around and met Clark's eyes, and she knew she had been caught. "It's a surprise, so I'm not going to tell you who."

And that's when he noticed two extra chairs at the table. He cast her a suspicious look and returned to his food.

At 9:15, someone knocked at the backdoor. Clark super-sped to beat Martha to it, looking back and smiling triumphantly at her. She waved resignedly.

"Go on," she said, smiling. "Answer it."

He faced the door, turned the knob, and pulled it open. What came next almost knocked him off his feet, literally.

"Clark!" was all he heard before he was drowning in blonde hair belonging to whoever was embracing him fiercely. But he didn't need to see the face to know who it was.

"Hi, Chloe," he said, wrapping his arms around her.

As he held her, he heard her murmuring into his chest, and soon he felt a warm wetness. Growing concerned, he pulled away and looked down at her. Her eyeliner was smeared, but she was smiling bittersweetly. As he turned to lead her inside, she stopped and reached backwards, bringing forth a small child who had been hidden behind her.

"Clark," she said, smiling at his shocked expression. "This is Ben." She looked down at the boy. "Ben, this is my good friend Clark." Ben looked up at Clark rather shyly, probably intimidated by his height.

Clark knelt down to be more on his level. "Hi there, Ben!" he said brightly, holding out his hand. "It's very nice to meet you."

After a cursory glance at Chloe, Ben took Clark's hand and shook it. But he still remained silent. Clark looked back up at Chloe and she nodded inside, as if to say that she'd explain in there. So Clark stood back up and let the two inside. Lois greeted Chloe and Ben (she had apparently known that Chloe had a son, _and_ that they would be here this morning), and soon, everyone finished their breakfast. Martha and Lois cleared the dishes while Chloe made Jason and Ben comfortable in the den watching cartoons. Then Chloe returned to a still-stunned Clark, ready to explain.

"Before I start, Clark," she said, "I want you to promise that you won't pity me, Lois, or yourself for anything we're about to say. Okay? Promise?"

Clark agreed, albeit hesitantly, so Chloe continued.

"When Lois found out about the baby, you had already been gone for a month, as I found out later, and she called me, frantic. She didn't know what to think, who else to turn to. We hadn't spoken in years, simply because when I moved to New York we had lost touch. Our jobs had become our lives. The first few months after I left, we called each other almost once a week. But then the papers started to become more and more time-consuming, and before we knew it, we only called on each other's birthday, and then not at all.

"But I remember clearly the call I got when she left the doctor's office that day."

"_Hello?" answered Chloe after flipping on her earpiece. She had been driving down the highway on her way to an interview with a very important business man, whom Chloe suspected of smuggling millions of dollars from his company._

"_Chlo?" she heard faintly on the other line._

"_Lois?" she asked, furrowing her eyebrows in concern. "What's wrong?"_

"_Chlo, I don't know how it happened. I thought maybe I was imagining it, that I was just stressed, except it never came and I didn't know what was the matter with me and—"_

_She had said all this in one breath before Chloe had a chance to stop her. "Whoa, whoa, whoa. Slow down, Lo. Take a breath and start from the beginning."_

_She heard Lois exhale. "Chloe, I'm pregnant."_

_Chloe almost swerved off of the road in her shock. "What? When? Who? How?" She laughed at the last question, and she was relieved to hear Lois chuckle on the other end. "Ok, maybe just who and when then."_

_Lois exhaled again, this time shakily, as if holding back tears. "The doctor said that I'm a month along, but as for who…" Lois paused before continuing in an almost whisper. "I have no idea."_

_Chloe was struck dumb for many moments._

What does she mean, "She has no idea"? You have to know when you sleep with someone, and who it is. Unless she was drugged. That's the only logical explanation.

_She was just about to ask Lois if she had been to any parties like that lately when a conversation she'd had with Clark a month ago came to mind. He had told Chloe that Lois had figured out his secret and that they had been intimate. He had also told her to not talk about it to Lois, because she wouldn't remember. But how could Lois have forgotten about that? She'd been in love with the superhero for ages!_

"_Chlo?" Lois asked faintly, bringing Chloe back to the present. Regardless of what had happened, she had to be there for her cousin._

"_Yeah, I'm here, and I'm coming to Metropolis right now," she said, finding an exit to turn around and return to her apartment._

"_No, Chloe, you don't have to do that. I'll be fine." But the tears Chloe heard in her voice said otherwise._

"_Nonsense. I'll catch the first flight out to Metropolis and tell my boss I'm taking some time off. I can work from anywhere, as long as I can find wireless. I'm his best reporter, so he wouldn't dream of firing me. Just go home, Lo, and hold tight until I get there. Do you have anyone who can stay with you until I get there?"_

"_Well, Ollie's in town this week for a benefit. Maybe he can come by for a little bit."_

"_Good, call him then, and I'll be there by morning. It'll be all right, Lo. We'll figure this out. I love you, sweetie."_

"_Thanks, Chlo. I'll give Ollie a call, and I'll see you soon."_


	4. Chapter 4

**The obligatory "I-don't-own-any-of-the-characters" line: Of course Superman doesn't belong to me.**

**The obligatory "Please-review-on-my-story" line: They are nice after all.**

Clark was starting to feel really guilty. Why had he done that to Lois? Why had he run away? Why had he made her forget? He had always caused her so much pain. So why was she there with him now?

As if on cue, Lois came and sat next to Clark, having finished helping Martha with the dishes. She kissed Clark on the cheek, as if to tell him to not beat himself up about it. He looked over at her, pain in his eyes.

"I'm so sorry," he whispered. "If I had known…"

"Don't," she said, placing a finger on his lips. "Don't apologize anymore. It's in the past. I've dealt with it, and we have a wonderful son now to think about. Let's just put that behind us and focus on building our future together, as a family."

He knew that it would take some time to forgive himself, but he let it go for now so Chloe could continue her story and tell how little Ben had come into the picture. He looked back to Chloe, and she continued.

"Anyway," she said, "I rushed to Metropolis and found Lois a mess. I knew what had happened, though I didn't know why she didn't remember it. I tried to talk her through it, avoiding coming right out and telling her what I knew, though I didn't know why her memory had suddenly gone MIA. Soon she calmed down enough to get some rest. After she had fallen to sleep, I grabbed my cell phone and went out to the balcony to call you, furious. Of course, I got no answer from your cell phone, so I tried whispering into the night, knowing that you would be able to hear me from anywhere on Earth. But that got no response either. So I called your mother and she filled me in on your exodus. Furious as I was to begin with, that information made me livid. I calmed myself down in the cool night air so I could take care of Lois when she awoke.

"The next week, a very handsome man started working at the _Daily Planet_, the nephew of your beloved editor-in-chief. But I think Lois should tell this part of the story." She looked to her cousin. "Lo?"

Lois turned to face Clark more fully and took his hands.

"This is my part of the story, and it's not going to be an easy one for you to hear. Just please hear me out before you say anything, okay?"

He merely nodded.

She continued. "When Richard started working at the _Planet_, I was still so distraught about your disappearance and the seemingly immaculate conception that I barely noticed him. But on his second day, he boldly came up to my desk and asked me out to dinner. I refused him that day, and the next, and the next. But the next day, I finally gave in and he took me to Gusto d'Italia. And afterwards, we went back to his place for a nightcap. Maybe the drinks clouded my judgement, or maybe it was my overwhelming confusion because of the baby, or my excruciating pain because of your absence, but whatever it was, that night, we slept together."

At this point, Clark looked away, unable to bear the thought of his Lois with another man. Lois put her hand to his face and brought it back to hers. "Please, Clark, you have to hear this." He nodded and squeezed her hand to let her know that he was ready for her to continue.

"Afterwards, while he slept, I lay awake next to him, thinking of you and wondering where you were and why you had gone without saying good-bye. I cried. I'll admit, I cried a lot that night. I cried for you and for me. I cried for Richard, who obviously didn't know what he was getting himself into. I cried for my unborn child. I cried until my pain eased. I cried myself dry. When Richard woke up the next morning, I had put you behind me, locked you and all the pain up in a dark corner of my mind. I could tell even after only a week of knowing him that Richard was a wonderful man, a man I could love and be happy with. And I wanted to be happy again.

"From then on, we were a couple, and slowly, I allowed myself to love him. After about a month, I told him about the pregnancy, hoping that he would think it was his and not run away. He was ecstatic and immediately asked me to move in with him, because his lakehouse was awfully big for a bachelor. We were moving very fast, but I was honestly starting to fall for him, and I could tell that his feelings for me were genuine. So I moved in with him.

"He helped me through the morning sickness and the hormones and the cravings and the weight gain and every other uncomfortable thing that comes with being pregnant. Sometimes while I slept, I had dreams of roadside diners, of large ice castles bathed with red light, of large silver beds, but I never remembered any details that would have let me know that they were more than just fantasy. So I didn't think much about them.

"The day Jason was born was both strange and magical, in a very Kryptonian way, I can say now, looking back."

_Lois was awoken by a sharp pain in her lower abdomen. She jolted awake, her hands flying to her stomach. She waited to be sure, and when another pain struck, she shook Richard awake._

"_What's up, babe?" he asked sleepily, rolling over._

"_Richard," she said with a strained voice._

_He was instantly awake. "What's the matter? Is it the baby?"_

_She nodded, grimacing as another contraction racked her body._

_He threw his covers off and flew around the room, throwing clothes and other things into a bag while dressing himself. "Stay right there, Lois. I'll get you to a hospital. Can you walk?" He came over to her side and helped her out of the bed, where he saw a dark wet spot. "Your water broke," he said, slipping her houseshoes onto her feet and wrapping her robe around her. He threw the overnight bag over his shoulder and helped Lois down the stairs and to his car. Thankfully, it was very early in the morning, still dark, so no cars were out yet. They got to the hospital in record time._

_Lois was immediately taken to the delivery room while Richard filled out the necessary paperwork. As soon as that was done, a nurse took him to where Lois was in labor. Once the contractions were a minute apart, the doctor told Lois to start pushing. _

_Richard was frantic. "Doctor, the baby is premature. He's not due until next month! Will he be okay?"_

_Simultaneously trying to deliver the baby and placate Richard, the doctor merely said, "He'll require some extra attention, but he should be fine. Now please, Mr. White, calm down and help soothe Miss Lane here."_

_Richard took her hand and told her to squeeze if it helped her pain. And boy did she squeeze; Richard immediately regretted his words. But he didn't let go, even when he thought he heard a small snap in one of his hands bones. He wondered at her strength, but he just attributed it to hormones._

_During every agonizing push, Lois had more flashes of those strange dreams that she'd been having for the past several months. Only now they were more detailed: she saw a man flying across the bar in the diner and landing in a pinball machine, three strangely dressed people standing amid the red light in the ice castle, and herself in the silver bed, arching her back in pleasure. None of it made any sense, but she didn't have the energy to focus on it right now. This child was coming, and he was desperate to get out of the womb, because he was kicking for dear life. Lois thought her insides where being whisked around and rearranged by this extremely strong infant._

_After a couple hours, Richard's parents and Perry White arrived at the hospital, though they were not allowed in the delivery room. When Lois found out that Chloe had arrived, however, she screamed for Richard to go get her and bring her in to take his place at her side. He was reluctant, but he was not about to deny this woman anything she wanted at the moment. Plus, that would give him a chance to have his hand checked out, in case she really had broken something in it._

_Once Chloe was at her cousin's side, she wiped back the hair from Lois' sweaty forehead and said, "Hey there, cuz."_

_Lois looked up at Chloe with wide eyes. "Chloe, there's something strange going on!"_

_After catching the doctor's eye and sharing a small smile, Chloe asked, "What's that, Lo?"_

"_The baby, he's…he's…" She struggled to get the words out._

"_Yeah, I know, he's a little premature, but he'll be ok."_

_Lois shook her head, finally getting back her voice. "No, he's kicking and it…Chloe, it hurts like hell. He's so strong, especially since he's so small. And my stomach, it feels so warm, hot even, like he's putting off some kind of heat."_

_Chloe smiled reassuringly. "Lois, it's normal to feel as if something's wrong with your baby, but I guarantee you, he's fine. You just focus on getting the little twerp out of you so I can hold my nephew!"_

_Hour after agonizing hour, Lois pushed and the baby kicked. Chloe breathed with Lois and counted during her pushes, giving her sips of water during her breaks. Richard peeked in occasionally to check on things, but Chloe always shooed him away. Slowly, the baby crowned, and slowly, he allowed himself to be ejected from the womb. Finally, the head appeared, and Richard was allowed in to stand on Lois' right side. The shoulders were slow-going as well, but once those were out, the doctor was able to just pull the baby from the womb. He flipped him over and cleared out his nose and throat. The baby instantly started crying._

"_It's a healthy baby boy," he said, holding him up so Richard, Lois, and Chloe could see him._

_Richard gazed at the child, filling with more love every second. Then he looked at Lois and kissed her forehead, whispering, "I love you." Chloe had to look away, the only one who knew the truth. She looked back at the child then toward the curtained window._

Where are you, Clark? You should be here for this.

_When she looked back to the boy, she saw that he had stopped struggling with the doctor. Richard had just cut the umbilical cord and was still holding the scissors when he saw the sudden stillness._

"_What's wrong with him?" he asked the doctor, quickly setting aside the scissors and leaning down to examine the baby more closely._

"_I don't know, but I'm sure it's nothing to be worried about. He just seems to have worn himself out from all that struggling on the way out. I'll have the nurses take him and get him cleaned up, and then we'll bring him back in here, okay?"_

_Richard looked back to Lois, who was lying back in the bed, her eyes closed. She waved in assent, so Richard nodded and returned to her side, taking her hand and kissing her forehead again. The doctor and the nurse left with the baby, leaving only three in the room. Richard glanced up and caught Chloe's eye._

"_Chloe, can you give us some time alone, please?"_

_After glancing down at Lois and out the door where the nurse had left with the baby, she nodded, squeezed Lois' hand one more time, and left the room, closing the door behind her._

_Lois was so exhausted she could barely keep her eyes open or even talk to Richard. He tried to keep her talking, to make sure that she didn't pass out on him. Her womb now felt so light, as if more than just six pounds had just been removed from it. The warmth she had felt was also gone, as was any strength that she had had during the delivery. She refused the water Richard offered her, knowing it would do no good. _

_Richard was just about to go out and get a nurse when Lois finally gathered the strength to say, "Sun." At first, Richard thought that he had heard her wrong._

"_What did you say?"_

"_Sun," she said more strongly, expending the rest of her strength to raise a finger to point to the window._

"_Okay, I'll open the curtains. I'll be right back." He rushed around to the window and pulled back the curtains, allowing the late afternoon sunlight to flood the room._

_As soon as the rays hit her, Lois felt so much stronger. She inhaled deeply and opened her eyes, smiling at Richard. _

"_Thank you," she said, reaching out her hand to him. He came back to her and took it. "How is he? How's Jason?"_

_Richard smiled down at her. "Jason?_

_She was resolute. "Yes. His name is Jason." That name was very special to her. At the time, she thought that she and Chloe had talked about it and decided that the first one to have a son would name him Jason. In reality, though, she and Clark had joked about it that night in the Fortress of Solitude; Clark said that he had always liked the name Jason, so Lois said that their first son would be called Jason._

_Richard pretended to consider it, rubbing his chin and cocking an eyebrow. "Jason…Jason White. I like it," he said._

_Lois cleared her throat. "Um, Richard. I was thinking that maybe he could have _my_ last name, at least until we get married."_

_Richard looked down at her, a little taken aback. He fumbled for words, so Lois continued._

"_It's nothing to worry about. I don't plan on leaving you as soon as we leave the hospital or anything." She pulled his hand to her lips and kissed it. "Please, Richard. Just do this for me. He's still your son, no matter what his last name is."_

_Richard's features softened. "Of course, Lois. Jason Lane it is. And if anyone asks, I'll say that I had to give in to my very hormonal fiancée." _

_He eyed her cautiously, waiting for her to register his words. When she did, she looked up at him, her eyes wide with shock. Her mouth opened to form a word, but no sound came out. She tried again as he reached into his pocket and pulled out a little black box._

"_I know that now isn't the most romantic time or place to ask, but I figure the time and the place don't matter as much as the answer. So, Lois Lane…" He opened the box to reveal the ring, a simple gold band with a single diamond. "Will you marry me and make me the happiest man in the world?"_

_Lois was still speechless. Did Richard really just propose to her? What should she say? Did she really love him, the way he deserved to be loved? Was she still holding out for Superman to come back? She knew that Richard wasn't her child's biological father, but she didn't know who was. Plus, he would be Jason's father in every way that mattered, because he was there._

_Richard began to look at her nervously, afraid that he had royally screwed up. _She obviously isn't ready for this. I mean, she just gave birth, for crying out loud! What's the matter with you, Richard? This was a very bad—

"_Yes," she said simply, smiling at him and extending her left hand._

_Now it was his turn to be speechless. But after a moment, he took the ring from the box and put it on Lois' finger, smiling himself. Then he kissed her, a kiss that drove every thought of Superman from her mind. For the time being, anyway._

_When the nurse finally brought Jason back, she handed him to Lois and explained that nothing was seriously wrong with him. However, his little lungs did seem a little on the frail side, which suggested that he might develop asthma in the future. But that was easily treated with albuterol. She left the newly-engaged couple with the baby, who was just starting to mobilize. Something about being in his mother's arms was therapeutic. _

_Or was it the sunlight now shining down on him?_

_After a few minutes of Richard baby-talking to him, Jason stretched his little arms and opened his eyes, looking up at his mother with deep pools of azure, a shade very familiar to her…_

_Richard, however, failed to notice his eye color, excited that he had opened his eyes at all._

"_Look at that!" he said softly, holding out his finger for Jason to grab. "His first look at his parents. Hey there, little guy! Welcome to the world!"_

_Lois let Richard talk to Jason a few more moments before she asked him to go get Chloe. Once Chloe and Lois were in the room alone, Lois allowed Chloe to hold Jason and play with him until he fell asleep. She handed him back to Lois, who looked at Chloe seriously and told her about Jason's connection to the sun and his intensely blue eyes._

"_I don't have blue eyes," she said, fixing her cousin with a meaningful look. "What if…" She hesitated to let Chloe in on her theory. She dropped her voice to a whisper. "What if it's Superman's?" At Chloe's look, she continued. "I don't know how that's even physiologically possible, but I mean, it all fits! Why Jason felt so heavy in my stomach, why my womb felt hot during labor, why we both felt better after we got some sun, the blue eyes…"_

"_Lois," Chloe said deliberately, "don't even think about that. Even if by some crazy chance that's true, he's gone now. Richard is Jason's father in every way that matters. And he just proposed to you! I just don't want any of you to get hurt. Please, Lois, for Jason's sake."_

_The fire of wanting to get to the bottom of the issue still remained in Lois' eyes, but she let it go for the moment._

_Richard brought in his parents and uncle to join Lois and Chloe in the room. They all fawned over the sleeping baby and offered to help Lois in any way they could. She politely declined, saying that she had all she needed for the time being. Then they wanted to see the ring, and after congratulating her and Richard on the engagement and visiting for a while, they all left the fledgling family in peace. _

_Richard soon fell asleep on the cot that the nurse had brought in for him, but Lois couldn't sleep. She couldn't help but more fully examine her theory in her mind. But as she gazed between the child sleeping in her arms and the man sleeping on the cot, she knew that it didn't really matter. Chloe was right. Richard was there, and he would always be there. That's just the kind of man he was._

_The night, Lois cried for the last time over Superman, and when she awoke the next morning, she was ready to put the past behind her and look forward to her future with her son and her fiancé. _


	5. Chapter 5

**The obligatory "I-don't-own-any-of-the-characters" line: Of course Superman doesn't belong to me.**

**The obligatory "Please-review-on-my-story" line: They are nice after all.**

When Lois finished, she looked at Clark, who had a tear threatening to fall from his eye. When it did fall, Lois wiped it from his cheek and kissed him. He immediately lowered his head.

"Clark," she said, attempting to get him to look at her. When he kept his head lowered, she brought it up by his chin. "Clark, look at me." He met her eyes. "You didn't know, and you couldn't have known. And I know that if you _had_ known, you wouldn't have left." She glanced over his shoulder and spotted Jason playing with Martha and Ben. "Look at him," she said. Clark turned and beheld his son. "He's beautiful, isn't he?" Clark nodded, and Lois turned his face back to her. "And he's yours. _Ours._ And I know we're going to be very happy. Please, Clark, you have to forgive yourself, because we won't be able to move on until you do. Will you work on that for me, please? So that by our wedding it will all be behind us?" He nodded again, smiling at Lois. Then he remembered why they had started story-time in the first place.

"So, Chloe," he said, turning to the blonde, "you want to tell me about Ben now?"

"I was getting there," she said. "It's the third part of this epic. But like I said before, you have to promise to not to feel sorry for us. We've dealt with it and moved on. Agreed?"

"I promised, didn't I?" he said.

Chloe smiled. "Yes, you did. Now, by the time Jason was a couple months old, I had moved back to Metropolis, to be closer to my beloved cousin and new nephew. My boss told me that I always had a job waiting if I should decide to return. Thankfully, Lois hooked me up with an interview at the _Daily Star_, and they gave me a job on the spot as a freelance reporter. I was ecstatic, because I'd have my choice of topics to write on and my hours would be up to me. The pay wasn't that great, but I could make ends meet.

"About a month after my relocation, I agreed to watch Jason while Lois and Richard went out to dinner. After putting Jason to bed, I ordered a pizza, intending to curl up on the couch with some serious pepperoni and a tear-jerking chick flick. It was one of those nights I just felt like crying about someone else's misfortune for a change, ya know?" But she could tell from Clark's look that he didn't. She chuckled and continued. "It's a female thing. Anyway, when the pizza arrived, I grabbed a $20 out of my wallet, enough for the pizza and a handsome tip, if he was cute. And indeed, the delivery boy was quite the looker. Before I knew it, I was flirting up a storm and writing my number on the back of a packet of parmesan, telling him to call me one night when he was free.

"Two nights later, we went out for, what else, pizza. That night, we talked for hours, until the owners of the pizzeria eventually had to kick us out. But after that, we went back to my place and talked until the sun came up. We decided that since we were already up that we should go get breakfast, and so we did. But after breakfast, our energy was gone, so we decided to end the date. Both of us went back home and crashed until late that afternoon. It was the best first date of my life.

"From that moment on, Robbie and I were inseparable. I introduced him to Lois and Richard that weekend, and he took to them and little Jason immediately. Lois told me on the phone that night that she was sure that I'd finally found a guy worth my time. And I agreed. I was falling head over heels for this guy, and before I knew it, we were living together. So, it didn't come as a shock to anybody when I found out that I was pregnant.

"I was so excited when I saw the pregnancy test. I had made Robbie stay outside in the bedroom while I checked the results. When I exited the bathroom, trying my hardest to keep a sad look on my face, his face fell. He wanted a child so badly. But I couldn't let him keep thinking the wrong thing, so I burst into a wide smile and showed him the test. In his excitement, he picked me up and whirled me around, kissing my neck and saying how much he loved me.

"When he finally set me down, he grew serious. He asked me to sit on the bed, so I did. Then he fell to one knee and pulled a small box out of the drawer of his nightstand. It wasn't an eloquent proposal, but I could tell that he meant every word with every fiber of his being. I accepted immediately. We decided that we wanted to get married as soon as possible, before I started to show. I called Lois that night and told her all the exciting news. She was almost more ecstatic than I was. We agreed to meet the next day to start shopping for dresses and flowers.

"Over the next few weeks, plans started to come together for a nice, small service that would take place two and a half months after Robbie proposed. Until then, Robbie was determined to find a better job than a pizza delivery boy, insisting that the baby and I deserved better. Against my better judgement, he took a job as a security guard for one of the city's most powerful lawyers, John Anthony. He was to watch the doors at night to make sure that no one tried to get into the office and tamper with official records. It was a great job with great pay, but my reason for being hesitant about him taking it was that the guard before him had quit after a brush with some particularly nasty thugs in the employ of a man who was being sued by one of Anthony's clients. But Robbie insisted that he could take care of himself, having grown up around guns, so he knew how to handle one to defend himself.

"Three weeks before the ceremony was to be held, my worst fears were realized. I was woken up in the middle of the night by a sharp knock at the door. Confused and half asleep, I wrapped myself in my robe and answered the door. On the other side stood a police officer with a very grave face.

"Removing his cap, he told me that Robbie had been involved in a shoot-out while on duty and suffered an instantly fatal bullet wound to the head. I learned later that the thugs involved were a couple of guys who the police suspected worked for Lex Luthor, since Luthor was involved in a heated legal battle with one of Anthony's clients. He had obviously sent some of his goons there to grab the file on his opponent and plant false information. Unfortunately, the police could never gather enough incriminating evidence against Luthor to convict him, so, as many times before, he walked free.

"Lois came to my apartment that night and spent the night with me, holding me as I cried. She was there for the rest of the pregnancy, the birth, the early morning feedings, the dirty diapers, the baby shopping. Robbie's parents were also a fixture in my life during that time. When Lois had to work or care for her own family, one of them was always by my side.

"So," she said, inhaling to keep the tears at bay, "that's the story of my little miracle." But, despite her efforts, a tear escaped. She wiped it quickly away and smiled.

In an instant, though, Clark was by her side, just as the tears began to fall freely. He held her while she cried for her lost love, and her son who would never know his father's love. He ached for his best friend's pain and cursed Lex Luthor, who had just given Clark another reason to despise him.

"Mommy, why are you crying?"

Clark and Chloe looked down and saw little Ben standing next to them. Chloe instantly wiped away her tears and put on a bright, genuine smile.

"I was just having sad thoughts," she said, pulling him into her lap. "But I'm all better, now that you're here." She kissed the top of his head and wrapped her arms around him, resting her cheek on his soft hair.

Lois reached across the table and put a hand on Chloe's arm. "Everything is going to be all right, Chlo."

"I won't let him hurt you again," said Clark.

Chloe nodded and squeezed Ben again before setting him back down. "Go back and play with Jason and Grandma Kent. We'll be in there in a little bit, okay, sweetie?"

"Okay, Mommy," said Ben, running across the dining room and back to the den.

Chloe watched him with teary eyes. "I'm all right most nights," she said to no one in particular. "But on bad nights, I'll go in his room and crawl into bed with him. He always wakes up and kisses me on the cheek, saying that it'll be all right, as if he's the adult and I'm the scared child. But we take care of each other." Then she focused back on Lois and Clark, her normally cheery demeanor returning.

"So, I get to be the maid of honor, right?"


	6. Chapter 6

**The obligatory "I-don't-own-any-of-the-characters" line: Of course Superman doesn't belong to me.**

**The obligatory "Please-review-on-my-story" line: They are nice after all.**

A couple weeks later, Chloe was officially put on the payroll at the _Daily Star_ as a full-time reporter. With this came an instant increase in pay and in the number of bylines she would get. Soon, Sullivan was to the _Star_ what Lane-Kent was to the _Daily Planet_. Chloe had insisted in staying under the radar until Ben was more grown-up, and now that he was, she quickly became well-known in the journalistic community and was soon attending all the big-name benefits and conferences.

Clark knew that it was only a matter of time before she ran into Jimmy Olsen.

Since her first front page byline, Jimmy had been acting rather strangely around the bullpen. Clark would catch him at his desk, just sitting and staring into space, usually holding a copy of the _Daily Star_. Clark once even had to shake Jimmy back to consciousness as he stood filling his cup at the water cooler, water flowing over the sides and down onto his shoes.

"Oh, hey, Clark!" he said, jumping back to reality and spilling more water on himself in the process. He reached over and grabbed some napkins to soak up the excess water. "What's up?"

Clark crossed his arms and trying his hardest not to smirk. He ultimately failed. "I could ask you the same thing, Jimmy."

The young photographer looked up at him. "What do you mean?"

Clark gave him a significant look. "I mean, you've been drifting off to dreamland quite often around the office, and I'm just curious as to why."

Sighing, Jimmy set down his cup and looked at Clark seriously. "Can I talk to you about something, CK?"

"Sure, Jimmy." He looked at his watch. "Wanna go get some lunch?"

Once in the deli with their food, Jimmy sighed again and fixed Clark with another serious look. "You're still pretty good friends with Chloe Sullivan, right?"

Clark knew where this was going, but he humored Jimmy. "Yeah, why do you ask?"

"Well, when I saw that she was back in Metropolis, I felt…well, I don't really know how I felt. We left things in such an awkward place when she left, and I know she left because of me. If I had been her, I would have left too." Here, Jimmy hung his head and picked at his sub sandwich. "I mean, I was really jealous of you two, and I know that I had no reason to be. Even when you reassured me that you were just friends, I couldn't help but think that she would still jump at the chance to be with you, if she could. I can still remember the night that I confronted her about it. That night could have gone one of two ways, and I chose the way that pushed her away."

"_Hey, Jimmy," she said, standing in Jimmy's doorway._

_He had asked her over that night with every intention of asking her to be his girl again. He could overlook her closeness to Clark, especially since Clark himself had told Jimmy that it was merely friendship. Jimmy knew that Chloe was lucky to have a friend like Clark, but he still couldn't shake those disturbing thoughts._

_They sat down at Jimmy's tiny dining room table, ready to indulge in the feast of pizza and chicken wings that Jimmy had ordered. Jimmy was determined to make things work and to work through his jealousy. As long as the conversation didn't drift toward the big guy in plaid, he would be all right._

"_So, how have you been, Jimmy?" she asked. "I haven't seen you down in the basement lately."_

"_Oh, yeah, well, the boss is finally starting to trust me with some bigger assignments." Which was partly true. Jimmy had volunteered to scan photos into the database, to avoid having to see Chloe so much._

"_Oh, that's good," she replied, dabbing some red sauce from the corner of her mouth._

"_Yeah," he said, suddenly feeling rather nervous._

_After they had had their fill of pizza, Jimmy cleared the table and invited Chloe into the living room. They sat down on the couch, the site of so many make-out sessions, with a good cushion and a half in between them. A palpable silence fell over them, augmenting the tension in the room. Finally, Chloe cleared her throat and looked over at Jimmy._

"_I know you didn't just invite me over for pizza. So what's really up?"_

_Jimmy could see the hope in her eyes, which eased his nervousness. Maybe she wanted this as much as he did. Feeling a sudden wave of confidence, he turned toward her and took her hands._

"_Chloe, I'm going to be frank. I miss you so much. I miss your laugh and your smile and your…" His voice lowered. "…your kiss. I miss holding you in my arms, because when I do, everything feels right in the world. So, if it's all right with you, I would like for you to be—"_

_But that's when Chloe's cell phone decided to ring. She jumped and reached for her purse, pulling out the flashing phone. Jimmy peeked over her shoulder to see the caller ID:_

Clark

555-579-7866

_Chloe looked at him regretfully. "I'm sorry. Can you hold on just one second?" _

_As she answered, Jimmy felt his jealousy returning full force. This was just too much. He knew that Clark would always be in the way, no matter how much either of them wanted to deny it. The conversation didn't last long, but by the time Chloe hung up and turned back to him, apologizing again for the interruption, Jimmy had decided that this whole night had been a bad idea._

_When he didn't speak, Chloe looked at him worriedly. "Jimmy? Are you okay?"_

_He stood up suddenly, feeling tears of anger welling up as he walked away from her. She stood also and placed a tentative hand on his shoulder. He shrugged away from her touch and turned, his face red._

"_Chloe, I can't keep doing this," he said, a tear leaking from one eye. He wiped it away angrily, determined to not break down. "I can't keep feeling like I'm a consolation prize."_

"_Jimmy, I—"_

"_No, Chloe. You can say all you want that you two are just friends, and maybe you are, but don't tell me that you wouldn't rather be with him, if you could. You never answered me last time when I said that, so I want an answer this time: Clark…or me." He stood stock still, with his hands fisted down by his side. He wanted an answer, but he was also afraid of what the answer might be._

_Chloe's mouth opened and closed in shock, but when she got her bearings back, her brows lowered in anger and indignation._

"_Jimmy, that is completely unfair. You can't make me choose between you and my best friend. Yeah, I'll admit, in the past, I would have loved to have been with Clark Kent, but it's pretty apparent that that's not going to happen. I've gotten over that and moved on. And now I want to be with you, but you can't seem to accept that. You keep reminding me of all the pain I went through in pining for Clark, and every time I think I can finally forget it and move on and be happy with you, you throw it right back in my face." She threw up her hands in surrender. "I quit, Jimmy. I don't know what else to do or say, because you apparently have it stuck in your mind that I'm still in love with Clark. If you can't believe me when I say that I'm not, then this relationship isn't going to work."_

_Picking up her purse and jacket, Chloe walked to the door. Turning back one last time, she said, "Good-bye, Jimmy."_

_And with that, she walked out of his apartment and out of his life, leaving him hurting and cursing himself for the ultimatum. He slowly sank to the floor and sat, stunned, while tears flowed silently down his cheeks._

After relating his tale, Jimmy looked sadly at Clark. "I should have believed her, CK. I should have believed you when you told me that you were just friends. But I was scared of getting hurt, in case you did by some chance come around. I didn't want her to leave me, but she ended up leaving anyway, because of me and my stupid jealousy.

"And I don't know what to do, now that's she's back in town and back in the journalistic circle. We're bound to run into each other at some function, and I just know it's either going to be awkward small talk or she's going to ignore me completely. And I couldn't blame her if she did ignore me.

"So basically, Clark, I need your advice. What should I do? Should I hope and pray that we never cross paths, or do I call her up and confront her like an adult? Do I just try to be merely civil or try to rebuild a friendship? I know Lois mentioned her having a kid, and I know that that would scare off a lot of would-be suitors, but it doesn't intimidate me. Lois also told me about what happened to her fiancé, and I know that the memory still haunts her. But I want to be with her, Clark. I want to be a father to that little boy, and I want to be the man Chloe deserves. Can you help me?"

Clark was stunned at the sincerity and ferocity in Jimmy's eyes, and he knew that the break-up and distance had taught Jimmy a lot; it had taught him what Chloe really meant to him. He could also tell, when Jimmy was brought up in conversation, that Chloe still felt something for him. It had been overshadowed by the loss of Robbie, Clark knew, but it was still there.

But Clark couldn't tell Jimmy all this. He merely agreed to help his friend in whatever way he could. He suggested starting with dinner at his and Lois' place, if that was all right with Chloe. Jimmy loved the idea.

"Thanks a lot, CK. I knew that if anyone could help me, it would be you. Just let me know when, and I'll be there."

"Well, I could call Chloe up right now and set up something for this weekend."

Jimmy's face went white. "Y-you don't have to do that. I mean, I'm sure she's busy and—"

But Clark already had his phone out and at his ear, the other end ringing. Chloe soon picked up.

"Hey, Chloe. How are you? … Good, good. Say, I have something to ask you. Lois and I were thinking about having a little dinner party this weekend, invite a few people from the office, and we were wondering if you had any plans. … Well, Jimmy Olsen for one. … Right. … Right. … Okay, then, how's 7 on Saturday? … Great! Well, we'll see you then. … Sure, bring little Ben. Jason always loves playing with him. … Okay, you too. Bye."

Clark fought to not laugh at Jimmy's horrified expression. "Hope you're free at 7 on Saturday."


End file.
